Is Altruism Part of Human Nature? Toward a Theoretical Foundation for the Helping Professions

Altruistic goals are at the foundation of social work's humanitarian mission, yet almost all current theories of human motivation suggest that people are essentially egoistic and that altruism is not part of human nature. In this article, I survey the conceptual and theoretical arguments and paradoxes by which scientists, philosophers, and much of the lay public defend an egoistic view of human nature, and I show how such arguments might be overcome to allow for the possibility of altruism.